I never expected our fine Jeep to overheat whilst parked, idling w/AC on.

W/only 53K miles, all fluids have been changed regularly & are clean.

Any thoughts or shared experiences? Thanks.

 

Are you consuming coolant? What are your coolant levels? Do you know anything about 0331 heads, I am fearful that yours might be out the window. First sign is consumption of coolant and 00/01 have 0331 heads.

 

Have you replaced anything on it? Water Pump? Radiator? Hoses? Things go bad with age, not just miles.

 

Check your coolant level. How low is it compared to when you last filled it? Is there anything in the overflow? And how hot is it reading on the gauge when it overheats? Is the electric fan working? It should come on at 215-220* or so, i think. Does it overheat with the a/c off and idling? The more info the better.

 

--Coolant level 1.5" above "Full", and appears clean green.
--Gage was at the 1st Red Warning mark.
--Got around to drivers side & brought up RPM; temp came down & returned to normal during drive home.
--Fan is not electric, rather a thermal clutch.
--No cooling system parts replaced.

Now I do recollect Heater was not producing well last Winter for my wife, but she seldom drives it & never complained - much...oh boy how could I have a plugged system??? DANG. We hardly use it.

Thanks folks. Guess I've been distracted with other 'issues' & wasn't thinking clearly.

Wally

 

No cooling system parts replaced in 16 years? I would look into swapping a lot of those out man.

 

change your fan clutch. and make sure that the electric fan is in working order. that should come on automatically with the ac.

 

Not true for 2000/2001, the e-fan comes on at a preset temperature regardless of AC on/off. Good advice on fan clutch, as a bad one would cause this issue.

OP, you have a mechanical fan and an e-fan, check both. Because of age (not mileage), replace your water pump, thermostat, flush the system, back flush the heater core, remove and clean out the overflow bottle, consider replacing the radiator, and definitely replace the fan clutch. Your e-fan is probably ok, but you should try to verify that it works. All can be done for less than $400 including OEM Mopar waterpump, radiator cap, and Tstat. And given you have the 0331 head casting, don't wait for it to overheat again or you may be looking at a head replacement.